Assessment of safe chemotherapy handling behaviors among oncology nurses in a conflict-affected setting: A cross-sectional study from Gaza

IF 5.6 2区医学 Q1 ONCOLOGY

Cancer Pub Date : 2026-08-05 DOI:10.1002/cncr.70550

Abed El-Rahman Rizq Mohammed Diab RN, MSc, Yousef Ibrahim Aljeesh PhD

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Abstract

Background

Chemotherapy drugs are hazardous and require strict safety protocols to protect health care workers. In the Gaza Strip, cancer is a leading cause of death, yet there is limited research on nurses’ adherence to safe chemotherapy handling practices. This study assesses the safe chemotherapy handling behaviors of nurses at the Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Gaza.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between July and August 2023. All 110 nurses at the hospital were invited to complete a validated, self-administered questionnaire based on the Nova Scotia Health Authority Chemotherapy Checklist. Data were analyzed using SPSS v25 with descriptive statistics, t-tests, and analysis of variance.

Results

The response rate was 96.36% (n = 106). The mean self-reported scores for safe behavior domains were: safe handling before administration (81.77%), safe handling during administration (71.33%), safe disposal of equipment (83.05%), and safe disposal of cytotoxic body fluids (72.84%). These scores reflect nurses' perceptions of their own practices rather than objectively observed compliance. Significant associations were found between safe behaviors and age (p = .012), years of nursing experience (p = .001), oncology experience (p = .044), qualifications (p = .004), and previous training (p = .003).

Conclusion

Although nurses demonstrated moderate to good compliance with chemotherapy safety protocols, critical gaps remain, particularly in drug administration and disposal practices. Regular targeted training, protocol reinforcement, and hiring of specialized oncology nurses are urgently needed.

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冲突环境下肿瘤护士安全化疗处理行为的评估：来自加沙的横断面研究。

背景：化疗药物是危险的，需要严格的安全规程来保护医护人员。在加沙地带，癌症是导致死亡的主要原因，但关于护士遵守安全化疗处理做法的研究有限。本研究评估加沙土耳其巴勒斯坦友谊医院护士的安全化疗处理行为。方法：于2023年7月至8月进行描述性横断面研究。医院的所有110名护士被邀请根据新斯科舍省卫生局化疗清单完成一份有效的、自我管理的问卷。数据分析采用SPSS v25，采用描述性统计、t检验和方差分析。结果：有效率为96.36% （n = 106）。安全行为领域的平均自我报告得分为：给药前安全处理（81.77%）、给药期间安全处理（71.33%）、设备的安全处理（83.05%）和细胞毒性体液的安全处理（72.84%）。这些分数反映了护士对自己实践的看法，而不是客观观察到的依从性。安全行为与年龄（p = 0.012）、护理经验年数（p = 0.001）、肿瘤经验（p = 0.044）、资格（p = 0.004）和以前的培训（p = 0.003）有显著相关。结论：尽管护士表现出中等到良好的化疗安全方案依从性，但仍然存在重大差距，特别是在药物给药和处置实践方面。迫切需要定期进行有针对性的培训，加强协议，并聘请专业的肿瘤护士。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Cancer 医学-肿瘤学

CiteScore

13.10

自引率

3.20%

发文量

480

审稿时长

2-3 weeks

期刊介绍： The CANCER site is a full-text, electronic implementation of CANCER, an Interdisciplinary International Journal of the American Cancer Society, and CANCER CYTOPATHOLOGY, a Journal of the American Cancer Society. CANCER publishes interdisciplinary oncologic information according to, but not limited to, the following disease sites and disciplines: blood/bone marrow; breast disease; endocrine disorders; epidemiology; gastrointestinal tract; genitourinary disease; gynecologic oncology; head and neck disease; hepatobiliary tract; integrated medicine; lung disease; medical oncology; neuro-oncology; pathology radiation oncology; translational research